3 Minutes
by LeoHiggins
Summary: She needed to confirm if the unthinkable had happened and let her mind wander as she waited.


**Disclaimer: **This is purely fiction

A/N: Experiment on a new style. Hope you like it and let me know what you think. See if you can identify the characters (personally, I thought it was quite obvious) and the scenes I'm referencing to. Feedback is very much appreciated!

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It was neither larger nor heavier than her pencil case yet it felt like lead in her palms. She held up the box, carefully reading the instructions, one more time. Although it was not as if the printed words would change but she needed to confirm the instructions even for the twentieth time; after all, it was quite embarrassing for a young school girl like her to get the item in her hands, which meant she had only one shot at it. She could still feel the stern questioning gaze the pharmacist fixed at her as she made the purchase.

She opted to leave the item on the table, unable to keep her eyes on the item in the bout of nervousness; instead she sat back and sighed to the ceiling. 'Wait 3 minutes' were the instructions written and in the beginning of those three minutes, her imagination was overloaded with scenarios, mostly those of which IF it was a confirmed… She shuddered at that thought. What would she do? More importantly, what would he say?

She had at first thought him as one of no consequence, not finding the need to speak to him, sitting at the back of the class, just listening to him in half attention; after all, education was not the main reason she went to school. Though her results were not the best, she managed to maintain enough to keep out of what the class deemed as the BAKA RANGERS, constantly keeping a low profile on class, staying as a silent guardian.

Her first words to him was sharp and professional, as recalling how guarded she was towards him at first, coolly responding to any exchange of words. It was a whole contrast to the current exchange of simple gestures of eye contact, a slight nod or even the slightest twitch at the edge of their lips that spoke more than battle strategies and thoughts on any matter. That all changed in a rush act that still could made her blush no matter how much she reasoned her actions or how much she tried to forget: the incident at the bath in Kyoto.

Yes, their first major interaction was at a bath in Kyoto right at that time when she thought he was intending to attack her. She had threatened him quite physically in such a away that would immobilize any man (In retrospect she thought how ironic it was that her actions were repeated again in the form of intimacy instead in less than a year) Then came a sequence of events that had opened her up, bringing back a childhood friend and attaining another close friend, she was eternally grateful for that. Incidentally, in that period, she had the chance to form a _Pactio_ with him.

Their _Pactio_ was their first kiss. Though it was out of necessity, she felt a connection, one that grew slowly as the days went by. That first kiss had taken her breath away and she could still remember how soft yet firm his warm lips were, feeling the world disappear as the howling wind encircled them. It was from a simple meeting of their lips that would grow to the passionate lip lock with sweet tongues and gentle puffs of breaths that they stole whenever they had the rare chance to be alone.

Alone like the one time in the school festival; the festival when one of their own became their enemy. She was supposed to watch over him while he slept but ended up experiencing the impossible with him in their first time travel. However, that was unexpected opportunity for what could count as their first date. She remembered how will they worked together, achieving top scores at the arcade, experiencing the many interesting rides, thoroughly enjoyed themselves as she allowed herself to let her hair down for a day while he was allowed to be himself without the need to be mature . She just felt so at ease with him.

He had accepted her as when she first showed him a hint of who she really was. Her linage made her an outcast, not even considering the way she looked. She had initially thought that he would treat her differently if she revealed to him her true form in its totality but her fears were unfound when he actually appraised her and remarked in all honesty of what he thought of her, "Beautiful" as he gently brushed her white bangs that fell over her pale face, gazing deeply into her crimson eyes. Those same features of hers were scorned by her people and ridiculed by a certain vampire in class in a tournament.

She recalled how impressive he was in that same tournament and the feeling of exhilaration when they had dueled against each other. She was impressed at the display of his abilities of speed and techniques. Her heart did skip a beat when he had said that there was only her in his eyes (though she knew that was not meant to be suggestive) and they shared a private smile to each other in the heat of the moment. She had seen his progress from an amateur fighter to the master of the martial arts, maturing at an accelerated rate with a body that was toned over the intense training he subjected himself to. She shivered in excitement as she remembered how his muscular body felt above her. He was always strong, yet gentle to her in the most intimate detail. She mused on the different side of him when the going got tough and they were forced into battle.

When it came to battles, they had formed a formidable team, her at the fore while he did his magic, looking out for each other even though both are skilled fighters in their right; be it standing their ground or attacking, there is an underlying trust and bond that made them move in sync in the song of battle. Whether it was protecting their classmates, or splitting up to achieve a common objective to any sudden situation, they always manage to pull through together while subconsciously thinking of the other. There was the time when she was almost forced to reveal her secret to the rest before she was ready as they fell through the sky. He had seemed to have read her thoughts and stopped her, taking the initiative to keep her secret hidden.

Now they shared a secret; one that started from an innocent suggestion to head into the deep mountains for training and were caught in a heavy downpour in the middle of an aerial fight, soaking them to the bone. They had seek refuge in a dank, cold cave and had to peel their soggy clothes from their chilled skin. There was barely enough wood to keep a fire going and he was too tired to sustain a warm fire with his abilities. They sat across each other, trying to avoid staring for they were clothed minimally in wrinkled shirts as the rest of their attire were hung up to dry while they waited for the rain to subside. As time ticked by and the rain continued to pour, they had unwittingly moved closer to the other as their bodies craved for any amount of warmth it could find. From a simple rubbing of the other's hand, it slowly evolved to an awkward embrace that was supposed to only share body heat. But when their eyes met, hidden emotions from both parties had seeped out. They would be lying if they had never felt anything for the other prior to that moment as his accelerated mature mind had admired her smooth pale skin, exotic looks and figure while her animalistic instincts sought his uncanny, natural ability to take the lead along with his physique. If one asked what they felt, the reply from deep within them was lust. It started slow like an uncertain stream as they intertwined their fingers which finally burst into a torrent of pure need as they hungrily fought for domination over the other.

When they finally returned to their daily lives, they had tried to push away the thoughts, denying that it ever happened, guilty for a whole list of taboo acts they had performed and avoiding each other to the point where their work and performance were affected while their friends expressed concern about their relationship, forcing them to meet in private to settle their differences. He admitted he was at fault, breaking a strained silence, proclaiming he would take responsibility for his actions, sorry for what he did to her. She knew that was what anyone would say in this kind of situation but deep within her, she felt a heart rendering crush when she heard his apology. After a few uneasy heartbeats, she asked if he was really sorry for what happened between them…because she knew she wasn't.

He was taken aback; he had expected her to lash out at him, decrying his actions or just plainly agree with him and forgot what happened. However, all the scenarios he had anticipated lead him to a feeling of unending emptiness. With just a simple statement, she had offered a path that was uncharted, leading to a myriad of possibilities; a choice that he knew was better than any other; a choice that he knew would allowed him to speak the honest truth: He did not regret that it was her he held; that it was her name he moaned; that it was her who was his first. His only regret was that he had taken advantage of the moment and should have restrained himself. With sure steps, he stepped up to her. Instead of verbally answering her, he reached out and gently held her slender hands, gazing into her eyes, hearing a soft gasp as he leaned in and pecked her on her cheek, reveling at the pleasant shiver that coursed through her body before drawing back to see her reaction.

His simple gesture spoke volumes to her: He did not care about their age gap. He did not care about her linage. He definitely did not care that it was taboo. It also answered her question and was waiting for her move. With soft eyes and a warm smile, she replied with a quick nuzzle and a peck on his lips. That bloomed into a repeat of the event that caused this situation.

It started slow, but they eventually allowed their lust to take the better of them: From volunteering to stay back late on the pretense of extra lessons (in a way that was not inaccurate) to heading to the mountains for intensive trainings to stolen precious moments even when their friends were just behind a door (that had added to the excitement)…she loved every moment of it. That eventually changed from loving the lust that was between them to loving the person himself for nothing changed about him; he was still the hardworking, reliable young man that was the heartthrob of many. But with an uncharacteristic smirk, she knew she will always be one above them as she knew she had the exclusive rights to his caresses and intimate acts. However, beyond their ability to work as excellent partners in front of others and beyond the heated moments of lust, she always wondered if their intimate connection to him was more than that.

Just recently, she felt nauseous in the mornings and gotten slightly picky in her meals. She dismissed them as probably the exertions from their latest experimentation of airborne trysts, but she felt the first pangs of fear when she missed her period. On the same day, not wanting to risk running into someone she knew, she intentionally took a trip to another prefecture just to find a discrete pharmacist to get the item. She needed to confirm if the unthinkable had happened.

The alarm for the waiting time chimed. She calmed herself and picked up the item, summoning all her courage and read the result: one dark blue line. She shakily picked up the box again and compared the results. Negative. Two lines will mean a positive. She breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the item into the trash. Most probably she was just tired which may explain why she was late. She splashed a handful of cold water to refresh herself before going about her day. She will have to ask him to be careful when she met him later. Although she did not want what they have to end, she had to ask him where their relationship stood: a scary yet necessary question.

Unbeknown to her, on the disposed item in the trash, just barely visible with the naked eye was a faint second line...

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In the English manga version, the words were written as "I'm only looking at you!" but in the original context, it was more like "In my eyes, there's only you!" It was meant to be a play on words. Both statements in English is correct but the play on the words is lost mainly due to translation - Chapter 115


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